Ludhiana: After rain, waterlogged roads irk commuters in city areas

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 23

Following rainfall on Saturday morning, waterlogging occurred in various parts of the city.

Commuters faced difficulties while passing through knee-deep water in several areas, including some sections of the main Chandigarh Road (National Highway), Moti Nagar, and Chaura Bazaar.

Also, there are reports of waterlogging in parts of Haibowal, Kidwai Nagar, Janakpuri, Transport Nagar, Dhandari Khurd, Giaspura Chowk on the NH-44, main Giaspura Road, Military Camp Road, certain segments of Ferozepur Road and other parts of the city.

Former councillor and Chandigarh Road resident Sukhdev Singh Gill highlighted extensive waterlogging on Chandigarh Road and Moti Nagar Road in Sector 39 due to rain and overflowing sewers. The dirty water mixed with rainwater not only flooded roads but also inundated nearby parks, causing inconvenience to the public.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) had previously installed a stormwater drainage line along a portion of Chandigarh Road near Vardhman Chowk. However, it has failed to resolve the issue of overflowing sewers during rainy days.

RK Yadav from Giaspura said he faced waterlogging at Giaspura Chowk and on Giaspura Road near the PSPCL’s office on Saturday. He said it was challenging to pass through flooded road sections after rainfall, emphasising that despite raising the issue multiple times, no action had been taken to resolve it by the departments concerned.

Some residents of Kidwai Nagar said rainwater had accumulated on a road between Shaheedi Park and Nanda Park. They also pointed out a severely overflowing sewer line exacerbating the situation. Water had accumulated in a park area as well. In Janakpuri Market, shopkeepers also voiced their concerns about waterlogging.

MC Superintending Engineer (O&M Branch) Ravinder Garg could not be reached for comments.

City gets 22.6 mm rainfall

City residents woke up to a pitch-dark morning followed by rain that turned the weather pleasant. Ludhiana today received 22.6 mm of rainfall.

The maximum temperature recorded today was 28°C while the minimum temperature was 21.6°C. The maximum temperature was 4.9 degrees low today than the normal.

Pavneet Kaur Kingra, head of the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said the weather was expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of isolated showers over Ludhiana and its adjoining areas during the next 24 hours.

Traffic thrown out of gear

Rain has thrown traffic out of gear in the industrial hub.

Long queues of vehicles were witnessed in the city due to the traffic jam and commuters faced huge inconvenience.

Various city roads, including Chandigarh road, Malhar Road, railway road, Pakhowal Road, Gill Road, Hambran road, and stretches in Model Town, Shastri Nagar, Shimlapuri and Jodhewal were affected.

Huge traffic jams witnessed outside private schools in the morning hours. Some of the students even reached their schools late due to the traffic chaos.

Three trees fall due to high-velocity winds

Three trees fell due to high-velocity winds accompanying the morning rainfall, disrupting traffic movement. Kirpal Singh, an official from the MC’s horticulture branch, said two trees had fallen on Lodhi Club Road while another had toppled onto cables near a school in the Jawahar Nagar area. The parts of the damaged trees were cleared from the roads.